No umpire referrals in Ashes series

Players will not be able to challenge umpires' decisions during the upcoming Ashes series, starting in July, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Tuesday.

Instead ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat says cricket's controversial Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) is set to be introduced permanently into the game on the basis of a "phased roll-out" from October 2009.

Lorgat was speaking at Lord's where the ICC's cricket committee had been meeting for two days to consider its response to the results of nine months' worth of trials of the new system.

The system gave players the opportunity to request a review by the third umpire of a decision made by the on-field umpire they believed was wrong.

Significantly, this was the first time players had been allowed to challenge a decision, although the two on-field umpires have always been able to consult one another and, for several years now, seek help from the television umpire.

Once a player asked for a referral, the third umpire was able to view replays and relay information back to the umpire on the field who then had to decide whether or not to reverse his original decision.

The cricket committee, chaired by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, said it believed the new system, for all its faults, reduced instances of bad decisions.

However, the cricket committee can only make recommendations.

A final decision on whether the new system will become a permanent feature of Test cricket will be taken by the ICC's chief executives committee and their main board, whose next meetings are due to take place during the global governing body's annual conference week at Lord's from June 22-26.

"I'm excited that the committee concluded the umpire decision review system had a positive effect on the game," said Lorgat. "It reduced the number of incorrect decisions and also cut down on instances of player dissent.

"The time ahead of that date will allow us to firm up the playing conditions, technical specifications and protocols, ensure additional training for match officials and further brief the players so that the process can be successfully implemented."